Leadership Connection – Build it and Be Amazed

Technology advances over the past 30 years have been simply amazing.  How many of us can remember when word processors were just coming out, when our computers ran on a cassette tape, and we thought a 28k modem was fast?

Now everything is digital, HD, and streamed to wherever we are and accessible whenever we want.  The explosion of social media has enabled us to see what’s on the dinner table for everyone we know and made so many more images and destinations available to us.  

We’ve never been able to contact people more frequently, reach farther out into the world, and access more information than we can today.  The next 30 years promises to be exciting as technology continues to leapfrog us into more contact, less time off the radar, and yet, somehow less connected to each other.   

At the same time, authentic connection between leaders and teams is critical for break through results, a happier workplace, and all the great stuff that comes with that.  What leader wouldn’t want people running through walls to serve the customer because they really believe in what they’re doing, why they’re doing it, and who they are doing it with?  

Everyone has a role to play in creating this connection.  The foundation of connection is communication.  It’s up to the leader to create the possibility of connection within the team.  Leaders do this in what and how they communication to their leaders, peers, and folks they support.  

I invite you to consider that the primary role of a leader is fostering connection between yourself and your team as well as fostering connection between team members.  With this connection, all other leadership pieces, sharing and executing vision, recognition, innovation, change management, and everything else becomes easier, more effective.    

Taking this responsibility is a first step in creating a connected team.  I also invite you consider that each connection we make is unique though we all have some intrinsic points of connection.  After all, we are all human, living in the same world. 

For deeper connection and amazing results, I invite leaders to put the following into practice:   

• Assume positive intent. Having a mindset that people want to do a great job opens the mind to more possibilities, more ways to solve problems, and greater engagement.
• Speak in terms of vision, what success looks, smells, and sounds like. Generally, people want to reach a bar. They just need to know what good versus great is. 
  
• Tell your truth. When you don’t know, say so without reservation or emotion. Contrary to the myth that I, at least had when I was an individual contributor, leaders don’t have all the answers, don’t remember everything that was said, and are just as jacked up with internal struggles, family issues and all the rest. Allow yourself the latitude of being human.
  
• Own your mistakes. Making mistakes makes you human. They do NOT mean you ARE one. When mistakes are made, own them, and treat them as you want the team to treat them. Work with the team to un-pack them as the learning opportunities they are.
• Keep your ego in check. Do this by making a commitment to learn about the team, who they are as people, what they are about, what’s important to them. These answers can help you to truly come to the conclusion that people are brilliant, creative, and have so much to offer. When that happens, watch out for unexpected, breakthrough results.
  
• Ask questions. Focus on “what” and “how” questions to draw out the brilliance of the team. Ask additional questions to clarify and bring other information into the conversation the team might not know about. Whenever possible, allow yourself to be swayed. For enrollment and ownership, give the team as much leeway as possible into how the work gets down.
  
• Give your opinion last. Everyone wants to give the “right” answer. Leaders want honest input. When you receive honest input, take it in with grace and openness. Maybe the idea is the best thing since sliced bread. Your reaction either brings more ideas, some of them revolutionary that translate to breakthrough results or shuts down the team. What do you want?

The trick with communicating for connection is…there is no trick.  At the end of the day, the best communication plans, technics, and tactics are only as good as the leader’s intent.  You have to mean it.  You have to believe it. 

 Do you?

 What are your thoughts?